Rewarding player detection of notable nonrandom patterns in games

ABSTRACT

Tools and techniques are provided for creating nonrandom notable patterns in elements of games of chance which are traditionally random and hence lack such patterns. Players are notified of the existence of such patterns. When a player detects a pattern, the player may act on it to the player&#39;s advantage. Play may be monitored to determine whether a pattern has been detected by a player. Player rewards may be limited by a reward threshold, based on amounts wagered by the individual player and possibly other players. Play may be monitored to detect undesired play by software bots.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application incorporates all material in, and claims priority to,U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/730,538 filed Oct. 26,2005.

BACKGROUND

Poker is a very well-known card game. More precisely, “poker” refers toany of a family of card games, many of which are played forentertainment and—on occasion—for profit. One feature shared by most, ifnot all, of the various games known as “poker” is that players bet inrounds. Another shared feature is that hands are ranked (royal flush ishighest, followed by straight flush, then four of a kind, and so on).The hand ranking used in different versions of poker is similar, if notalways identical.

Another feature of poker, and also of many other card games, is thatcards are normally given to players from a deck which has been shuffled,generated in a random order, or otherwise placed in a random order.Thus, players have come to expect that any patterns in the order ofcards drawn from the deck are merely accidental. Too much predictabilityin the order of shuffled cards—particularly if that order favors oneplayer—may well be seen as proof of cheating. Cheating is takenseriously. In the American West in the 1800's, card cheats wereroutinely shot dead. Even as recently as the 1970's, a United StatesSupreme Court case discussed the fatal shooting of a card cheat:

-   -   The story began in June 1970, when one William Douglas, a        professional gambler from Las Vegas, Nev., arrived in Memphis,        Tenn., calling himself Ray Blaylock and carrying a gun and a        deck of cards. It ended on the evening of Jul. 6, 1970, when        Douglas was shot and killed in a Memphis apartment.    -   Testimony at the trial in the Tennessee state court showed that        one Woppy Gaddy, who was promised a cut of Douglas' take,        arranged a game of chance between Douglas and Robert Wood, a        sometime Memphis gambler. Unwilling to trust the outcome of the        contest entirely to luck or skill, Douglas marked the cards, and        by game's end Robert Wood and his money had been separated. A        second encounter between the two men yielded similar results,        and Wood grew suspicious of Douglas' good fortune. In order to        determine whether and how Douglas was cheating, Wood brought to        the third game an acquaintance named Tommy Thomas, who had a        reputation of being a “pretty good poker player.” Unknown to        Wood, however, Thomas' father and Douglas had been close        friends; Thomas, predictably, threw in his lot with Douglas,        purposefully lost some $1,000, and reported to Wood that the        game was clean. Wood nonetheless left the third game convinced        that he was being cheated and intent on recouping his now        considerable losses. He explained the situation to his brother,        Joe E. Wood, and the two men decided to relieve Douglas of his        ill-gotten gains by staging a robbery of the upcoming fourth        game.    -   At this juncture respondents Randolph, Pickens, and Hamilton        entered the picture. To carry out the staged robbery, Joe Wood        enlisted respondent Hamilton, who was one of his employees, and        the latter in turn associated respondents Randolph and Pickens.        Douglas and Robert Wood sat down to the fourth and final contest        on the evening of Jul. 6, 1970. Joe Wood and Thomas were present        in the room as spectators. During the course of the game,        Douglas armed himself with a .38-caliber pistol and an automatic        shotgun; in response to this unexpected development Joe Wood        pulled a derringer pistol on Douglas and Thomas, gave the gun to        Robert Wood, and left to tell respondents to move in on the        game. Before respondents arrived, however, Douglas reached for        his pistol and was shot and killed by Robert Wood.    -   Parker v. Randolph, 442 U.S. 62 (1979)

In addition to card games, many other familiar games involve thepresentation of some randomly chosen value to players. This is truewhether the games are informal, or whether they are played in aninstitution such as a legally regulated casino. Some of the manyexamples of random moves include cards drawn from a shuffled deck,roulette wheel destinations landed on by a ball, numbers placed on akeno sheet, and the landing position of thrown dice. In poker, roulette,keno, craps, and other games of chance, players have come to expect thatcertain elements are randomly chosen, and many players would often besurprised—and even angered—if those elements were not in fact random ina given game. Accordingly, random number generation is a key aspect ofautomated games of chance.

This does not eliminate player skill as a factor. But traditionally,player skill is a skill in “playing the odds”, that is, in takingadvantage of statistical likelihoods that are based on the assumptionthat the individual moves (card draws, roulette wheel outcomes, dicetoss, etc.) are random. In short, the fact that a player is skilled atplaying the odds simply reinforces the importance of randomness in gamesof chance.

Other aspects of technology and culture, discussed herein or previouslyknown to those of skill in the art, may also be helpful in understandingthe present invention.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides tools and techniques for includingnonrandom notable patterns in games of chance where playerstraditionally expect only random moves. Some methods of the inventioninclude notifying a player that a game presents from time to time anonrandom notable pattern which the player may detect and take advantageof during play; creating at least one nonrandom notable pattern in thegame linking moves by the player to other moves, the game having atraditional counterpart which is free of created nonrandom notablepatterns; presenting the player with random moves and with a nonrandomnotable pattern of moves in the game; determining whether the player hasdetected the nonrandom notable pattern; and rewarding the player if theplayer has detected the pattern.

The phrase “nonrandom notable pattern” was coined by the inventor forthis application; it has a particular meaning provided by the examplesand discussion herein. In particular, in some embodiments game playunder the invention includes at least one move (made within or inresponse to a nonrandom notable pattern) which is disallowed undertraditional random game play. To give just one example, a nonrandomnotable pattern might include an ace in each of ten consecutive hands,resulting in more than four aces being drawn from one virtual deck in anautomated game of poker or blackjack.

Nonrandom notable patterns may be created, for example, by reordering atleast one subsequence of a random sequence of N game moves to form atleast one nonrandom notable pattern; by adding game moves around anonrandom notable pattern of game moves, wherein the added moves departfrom the nonrandom notable pattern; and/or by changing at least onerandomly generated game value to conform with a nonrandom notablepattern of game moves. A nonrandom notable pattern may be a numericpattern, a geometric pattern, or a pattern in card suits, for example.

Rewarding the player if the player has detected the pattern may be doneby giving the player bonus play, giving the player casino comps credit,giving the player cash or a cash equivalent, and/or publicly listing theplayer among other winners, for example. In some embodiments, part ofthe pattern is withheld from presentation if a determination is madethat rewarding the player further would cause the player's reward toexceed a specified reward threshold. The reward threshold can bespecified by a fixed amount which is independent of any given player'srecord of game play, or based on the player's total winnings over one ormore play sessions, or on wagers by other players.

Although many of the examples given herein are methods, the inventionprovides generally corresponding devices, systems, configuredcomputer-readable storage media, signals, and process products, as wellas methods. The examples are merely illustrative. The present inventionis defined by the claims, and to the extent this summary and/orincorporated material from a parent priority document conflicts with theclaims, the claims should prevail.

DRAWINGS

To illustrate the manner in which the advantages and features of theinvention are obtained, a description of the present invention is givenwith reference to the attached drawings. These drawings only illustrateselected aspects of the invention and thus do not fully determine theinvention's scope.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating methods of the present invention,from a house or game-playing-device point of view.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a device of the presentinvention, in a usage context showing a player and a “house” such as acasino.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram further illustrating devices of the presentinvention in a usage context, including communication with a servercomputer.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating methods of the present invention,from a player point of view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Introduction

The present invention provides tools and techniques for includingnonrandom notable patterns in games of chance where playerstraditionally expect only random moves. Players may detect thesepatterns and then act on them. In addition to the satisfaction ofspotting a pattern, a player may be rewarded with extra play time, cash,or other tangible benefits. The patterns can be presentedintermittently, in contexts which are fully random (free of suchpatterns) in traditional games.

In traditional games of chance, players have sometimes found apparentpatterns, but these supposed patterns are mere coincidences. They arenot intentionally created. They cannot be consistently relied on by aplayer. They are not patterns monitored by software within the game,such as software that monitors play to determine whether the player hasdetected the pattern, and/or software that monitors play to limit thereward given to the player for detecting and acting on the pattern.Patterns 314 of the present invention are different in one or more ofthese ways from apparent patterns.

The present invention provides tools and techniques that relate at leastgenerally to games of skill and/or chance. Whether an embodiment of theinvention lies within a particular definition of “gambling” depends atleast on the definition and the specifics of the embodiment in question.However, at least some embodiments include variations on games whichtraditionally contain at least some element of chance and which haveoften been the object of wagers, such as poker, blackjack, roulette,craps, baccarat, and other games that are played in casinos and/orlegally regulated.

In most if not all such traditional games, a very high value is placedby players on the actual randomness of a supposedly random element, andaccordingly in casinos or other gambling venues a high value is placedon players' perception of the randomness of game elements that theyexpect to be random. Thus, examples of cheating include using loadeddice that do not produce outcomes distributed randomly, stacking a deckof cards in a known order or surreptitiously substituting hidden cardsfor cards that are supposedly drawn at random, using magnets or otherforces to influence roulette balls to land in non-random locations, andso on.

Some games include outcomes determined solely in the physical world;some examples include sporting events such as horse races, boxingmatches, football games, and so on. Table games such as poker,blackjack, roulette, craps, and so on originated as games played in thephysical world with little or no automation. However, many games ofchance and skill now also have versions that are implemented primarilyor solely in computer form. Many slot machines, for instance, do notrequire one to physically pull an arm as in the originalnon-computerized version, but allow one to simply press a button, andthe wheels may be physical or they may be implemented merely in softwarefor display on a computer screen.

In this context, some embodiments of the present invention are formed asfollows:

-   -   1. Select a game which has at least some traditional element of        chance, and which can be implemented in a computerized form.    -   2. Introduce electronically at least one pattern into the chance        element so it is not fully random (unlike the unmodified        traditional game).    -   3. Reward the player if the player detects the pattern and acts        on it.    -   4. Change the pattern at some point after the player detects it.

SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

The invention is illustrated in text and drawings by specific examples,but it will be appreciated that other embodiments of the invention maydepart from these examples. For instance, specific features of anexample may be omitted, renamed, grouped differently, repeated,instantiated in hardware and/or software differently, performed in adifferent order, or be a mix of features appearing in two or more of theexamples. Reference is made to the figures throughout by referencenumeral. Any apparent inconsistencies in the phrasing associated with agiven reference numeral, in the figures or in the text, should beunderstood as simply broadening the scope of what is referenced by thatnumeral.

As an example, to create an embodiment of the present invention, onecould select a device 202 for playing the game blackjack, modify therandom card generation 208 in the software to create 106 a pattern 314whereby a virtual dealer 230 always goes bust if the player's cardsinclude a seven, feed 114 the player 228 examples of this pattern andmonitor 118 play until the player stands 428 on three low hands (e.g.,seven plus two, seven plus three, seven plus four) in a row instead ofhitting as one would expect, and is rewarded 122 by seeing the dealer gobust, and then return to fully random 210 card generation. In somecontexts, it may be legally necessary and/or profitable to notify 102players in advance that such patterns 314 are sometimes introduced 114into the game. In other contexts, it may be unnecessary and/orundesirable to disclose the use of such patterns, especially withpatterns that are neutral (if undetected) or favorable (if detected andtaken advantage of), from the player point of view when the player playsagainst the house and the inventive use of patterns does not give thehouse an unfair advantage.

As another example, one could select a device 202 for playing the gameof poker, such as a video poker or other computerized device 202, modifythe random card generation circuitry 208 to create 106 patterns 314 sothat the player 228 receives 414 a flush when the player's original handshows all four suits and the player draws three cards of three differentsuits (keeping the two cards of the fourth suit), continue this andmonitor 120 until the player receives 414 five flushes in a row orreceives 422 back 90% of the money 312 spent by the player in thissession, whichever comes first. Then one switches to a pattern 314 inwhich the player's original hand always contains exactly two aces andthe player draws a third ace if the player keeps the two aces and drawsat least one card, and continue this and monitor 118 until the playerduring four consecutive hands acts on the pattern by keeping the twoaces and drawing at least one card (including a third ace). Then returnto completely random play 210.

Some traditional versions of bingo, keno, or similar games involverandomly generated numbers/grid positions, which are then tested ordaubed 310 to see if they match a predetermined geometric pattern, e.g.,lying in consecutive positions filling a line, a diamond, or some morecomplex geometric win pattern. Matching the win pattern provides aplayer (sometimes only the first such player) with a payout or otherbenefit. Sometimes a player is allowed to make a guess as to what theythink the full win pattern is, after part of the win pattern is matched.However, in traditional games the numbers/grid positions which aretested against the geometric win pattern are randomly generated 210. Invariations according to the present invention, the numbers/gridpositions are not always generated in a fully random manner. Instead,patterns 314 are introduced 106, e.g., from one game of keno or bingo tothe next, in a manner that benefits at least one player who detects andacts on the pattern.

For example, during a first bingo game, the random generation ofgeometric win patterns is modified 106 so that a player 228 is offered achoice of bingo cards in which one card contains a numeric pattern, thenumbers 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 adjacent in a row, and the random generation ofcalled numbers is modified 106 so that these numbers are among the firstseven called. The cards not selected by the player are displayed onscreen 224 and daubed, so the player has a chance to see the 2, 5, 8,11, 14 card win even if it was not the card the player selected. In thenext game, an offered card contains the numeric pattern 3, 6, 9, 12, 15adjacent in a row, and the random generation of called numbers ismodified so that these numbers are among the first seven called. Asbefore, the player sees 114 this bingo card win even if the player didnot select it. In the next game, an offered card contains 1, 4, 7, 10,13 adjacent in a row, and the random generation of called numbers ismodified so that these numbers are among the first seven called; theplayer sees this bingo card win even if the player did not select it.The cycle then repeats as a pattern 314 (2, 5, 8, 11, 14 card in nextgame, then 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 card, then 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 card, and so on)until some pattern 314 presentation 114 exit state is reached. A patternpresentation exit state may be reached, in this bingo example or inother innovative bingo games and/or other modified games playedaccording to the present invention, in various ways, subject to one ormore conditions, such as when 120 the player reward meets or exceeds athreshold, when the player fails to detect 418 the pattern, when theplayer quits 404 playing, or when the pattern 314 runs its full courseduring play.

EMBODIMENTS GENERALLY

More generally, some methods of the invention include notifying 102 aplayer 228 that a game presents from time to time a nonrandom notablepattern which the player may detect 418 and take advantage of 428 duringplay. The game may have a traditional counterpart which is free ofcreated nonrandom notable patterns; examples of such games includepoker, craps, roulette, and other games of chance that have long beenprovided (in their traditional form) in casinos. Such a notice 226 maybe given to the player by displaying it on a video screen 224, speakingit aloud in person or by recording, placing a printed notice sticker onthe device 202, and/or in other ways. In some embodiments, a player canpush a “start pattern” button, a “start numeric pattern” button, or thelike, to either immediately begin presentation 114 of a pattern 314, orto merely increase the likelihood that a pattern 314 will soon beginpresentation.

Some methods include creating 106 at least one nonrandom notable pattern314 in the game. The pattern 314 may be a numeric pattern, a geometricpattern, or a pattern in card suits, for example. It may include two ormore moves 310. The pattern may link moves 310 by the player to othermoves by the house, by the player, and/or by one or more other players.Thus, in the blackjack example above, moves are linked such that thedevice 202 feeds 114 the player 228 examples of a pattern and monitors118 play until the player stands 428 on three low hands in a row insteadof hitting as one would expect. Similarly, in the poker example above,moves are linked such that the player 228 receives 414 a flush when theplayer's original hand shows all four suits and the player draws threecards of three different suits, with pattern presentation continuinguntil the player receives 414 five flushes in a row or receives 422 backa specified percentage of the money 312 spent by the player, whichevercomes first. It will be understood that moves 310 can also be linked inother specific ways by embodiments of the invention.

Nonrandom notable patterns can be created in various ways. For example,in some embodiments, the creating step performs comprises subsequencereordering 108, namely, reordering at least one subsequence of a randomsequence of N game moves to form at least one nonrandom notable pattern.Thus, after a traditional random number move generator 210 generatedfifteen dice rolls, a pattern creation module 212 could sort 108 thethird through thirteenth rolls into increasing numeric order, forinstance, before the fifteen dice rolls were presented 114 to the player228. Similarly, if a traditional random number move generator 210generated twenty blackjack card pulls, then a pattern creation module212 could sort 108 the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh,thirteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth card into decreasing value orderrelative to each other, for instance, before those card pulls (and theother pulls) were presented 114 to the player.

In some embodiments, the creating step does 110 contra-patternedfilling, namely, adding game moves around a nonrandom notable pattern ofgame moves, wherein the added moves depart from the nonrandom notablepattern. That is, a desired nonrandom notable pattern is generated, andrandomly generated moves are placed before and/or after the patternmoves (or the placeholder for the pattern moves). This approach 110provides more possible patterns 314 than subsequence reordering 108, assubsequence reordering must work with moves originally generatedrandomly, while contra-patterned filling need not be thus limited.

In some embodiments, the creating step changes 112 at least one randomlygenerated game value to conform with a nonrandom notable pattern of gamemoves. That is, variable values, data structure fields, or other memory206 representations of game moves which have been generated are changed112 to create a nonrandom notable pattern. Programmers will understandthat this is equivalent to directly generating the nonrandom notablepattern, since the memory elements that receive the generated values ofthe nonrandom notable pattern hold some value (from prior execution, forinstance, or uninitialized garbage after a reboot) which is overwrittenwith the desired values of the nonrandom notable pattern. This approach112 provides the same theoretical space of possible nonrandom notablepatterns as contra-patterned filling.

Moves constituting nonrandom notable patterns 314 are presented 114 tothe player through a screen, speakers, or other user interface 224components. Except for diagnostic 214 or other unusual purposes, normalplay will include random moves and will intermittently present 114 oneor more nonrandom notable patterns of moves in the game. This allowsplayers 228 to discover patterns' existence within surrounding randomnoise, as well discovering the approximate or exact content of thepatterns.

In some embodiments, the determining step 118 compares actual playermoves with a template of expected moves by a hypothetical (or actual)model skilled player to determine whether the player has detected thenonrandom notable pattern. The working assumption is that the skillfulplayer would detect the pattern 314 and move according to the template,and that a less skillful player would make different moves. Examples aregiven in discussing blackjack herein.

Nonrandom notable patterns may be chosen for generation with the goal ofmaking it easier to determine when they've been detected, by choosingpatterns 314 that call for a leap of faith by the player, that is, movesthat go contrary to what would be done by a player who's playing theodds as if the game were fully traditional, or a by player who'sresponding more or less at random. Thus, a player who is playingtraditional blackjack with cards drawn without replacement from a singledeck would be expected to ask for an additional card if she drew cardstotaling seven. But if the player has detected 418 a pattern in whichthe dealer 230 goes bust every time the player draws a diamond, then theplayer could manifest that detection 418 in a way determinable 118 bythe device 202 by standing pat when she draws three of diamonds and fourof hearts.

In some embodiments, the rewarding 122 step rewards the player ifmonitoring software 216 determines 118 that the player has detected thepattern. In some embodiments, with or without monitoring software 216,the player is rewarded 122 for detecting a pattern by virtue ofreceiving more advantageous outcomes. Regardless, rewards 312 may be inthe form of giving the player bonus play, giving the player casino compscredit, giving the player cash or a cash equivalent, and/or publiclylisting the player among other winners, for example.

In some embodiments, part of the pattern 314 is withheld 124 frompresentation 114 if a determination is made 120 that rewarding 122 theplayer further would cause the player's reward to exceed a specifiedreward threshold. That is, a pattern may be terminated earlier thanwould otherwise occur, if continuing to present the pattern would givethe player an advantage deemed too expensive and/or too risky to thehouse 230. The specified reward threshold may be specified by a fixedamount which is independent of any given player's record of game play.Alternately, it may be specified based at least in part on at least oneof the following: the player's total winnings this play session, theplayer's total winnings over more than one play session, wagers by otherplayers over a period of time.

Game play under some embodiments includes at least one move 310 which isdisallowed under traditional random game play. For instance, card drawsmay go beyond those found in a traditional deck (or double deck, forgames traditionally played with two decks). Similarly, roulette outcomesmay simulate use of more than one ball. Dice outcomes may simulate useof more than the traditional number of dice, from which the traditionalnumber is then chosen (by the house/device 202 or by the player).

Steps of a method may be repeated. For instance, additional nonrandomnotable patterns may be presented 114. It may then be determined 118whether they are detected by the player. Steps may also be done in adifferent order, omitted, combined, or otherwise depart from the outlinepresented above, provided that the method is operable and conforms withat least one claim.

The invention may also be embodied in devices 202 and in systems 300.Not every component shown in FIG. 2 need be present in every inventivedevice 202. A feature of a device 202 and/or system 300 may correspondto a method step performed by a player 228 and/or by a casino or otherentertainment-providing house 230. Likewise, methods may be implementedby software and/or hardware in devices and/or in systems. For example,some device 202 embodiments are configured to withhold 124 part of thenonrandom notable pattern from presentation to the player if rewarding122 the player further would cause the player's reward total for thesession to exceed a specified reward threshold. Likewise, some devicesallow multiple players 228 to play 310 the game together.

Some device 202 embodiments include a notice 226 to players that atleast one game played with the device presents a nonrandom notablepattern. Such a notice need not use the phrase “nonrandom notablepattern” but need merely convey that the traditionally fully randomelement of a game is not fully random in this version of the game. Thenotice 226 may also convey that players can detect and take advantage ofpatterns in that game element. The notice phrasing may be chosen toreflect marketing, advertising, legal, and other concerns in addition toplacing the player on notice of the intermittent presentation ofpatterns in the game. Many different phrasings are suitable. A few aregiven below, merely as examples:

“Watch for EXTRA ACES! If you see a fifth ace, don't worry—it means thedealer is following a pattern. Identify the pattern and betaccordingly!”

“NOTICE: In accordance with State Statute 12.34, this deviceintermittently introduces patterns into games that traditionally lackthem. The Gaming Commission regulates these patterns and theirdeployment. Detecting and playing to these patterns can increase playerwinnings.”

“LADY LUCK GETS REAL^(SM) Play on this machine is not always fullyrandom. Watch for patterns and win more!”

Some device 202 embodiments include a pattern creating means forcreating at least one nonrandom notable pattern in the game by at leastone of: subsequence reordering, contra-patterned filling, changing atleast one randomly generated game value. Component 212 may be such ameans; in other embodiments, component 212 creates patterns withoutdoing so in the manner required of such a means. The pattern creatingmeans may include software for performing at least one of: subsequencereordering 108, contra-patterned filling 110, changing 112 at least onerandomly generated game value as discussed herein. Alternately, thepattern creating means may include such software in combination with ahardware memory 206, such as a EEPROM, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removablememory device, flash memory, CD-ROM, DVD, or the like, which isspecially configured by the software. Alternately, the pattern creatingmeans may include a special-purpose PAL, ASIC, FPGA, chip, or otherspecial-purpose digital hardware component having the functionality ofthe software but not so easily replicated or modified as the software.

Some device 202 embodiments include a player interface 224 configured topermit the player to play the game and to present 114 the player with anonrandom notable pattern during such play. Familiar general-purposeelements such as screens, keyboards, mice, touch screens, light pens,tablets, speakers, microphones, flashing lights, device drivers,operating systems, and the like, may be part of the interface 224. Theymay be controlled in part by the player, and in part by software whichaccepts player moves 310 and displays house moves 310. In someembodiments, the interface also rewards 122 the player with chips,vouchers, cash, extra play, public recognition, and/or other rewards312.

Some device 202 embodiments include a player skill monitoring means 216for determining 118 whether the player has detected 418 the nonrandomnotable pattern 314. As with other “means” herein, this means 216 may besoftware, or software configuring general-purpose hardware, orspecial-purpose hardware, which provides the functionality of thecorresponding method step(s).

Some device 202 embodiments include software code and/or hardware 218for detecting 116 play by bots or other automated players. Some device202 embodiments include software code and/or hardware 220 for detecting104 the start and/or end of a play session.

The game(s) played with the device 202 and/or the inventive methods maybe, for instance, a variety of poker, blackjack (a.k.a. twenty-one),baccarat, another game of playing cards, blackjack, a form of poker,baccarat, craps, roulette, Sic Bo, another casino table game, a lottery,a sweepstakes, and/or a dice game. In some embodiments, the game asplayed with the device 202 includes player decisions more complex thanmere slot machine play. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, thepresent invention is not embodied in slot machines.

The device 202 may be located in a casino for game play by a person whois also in the casino. In this case, the device may be standalone innature (not communicating electronically through a wired or wirelessconnection to another device and/or monitor/controller). However, adevice 202 located in a casino may also communicate 306 to a server 302or other monitor/controller, e.g., to track rewards given out and fundstaken in by a group of machines collectively so that a house pool can bedetermined and used when calculating 120 a reward for a player at thedevice 202. Any technically suitable network, wireless network, serial,parallel, or other communication protocol can be used to link 306 thedevice with other devices and/or controllers. Controllers/monitors 302are not directly accessible to players in general, but are insteadrestricted to use by casino administrators and technical supportpersonnel.

Alternately, one or more devices 202 may be located outside a casino.Again, they may be standalone or networked 306. In particular, thedevice 202 may be connected over the Internet or another public switchedor telecommunications network. This may be done such that the devicecommunicates only player registration/authentication communication overthe link 306, and/or communicates only play results over the link 306.Alternately, the device may be a client such as a web browser thatreceives substantive game functionality through a download and/or thatotherwise accesses game software 212 which is located at least in parton a networked server 302 for game play online.

The invention may be embodied in CDs, DVDs, flash memories, hard drives,EEPROMS, ROMs, and/or other configured storage media 206 for use in asystem or device. The general-purpose storage medium is configured withdata and instructions to cause at least one device 202 having aprocessor 204 and a working memory (which may include more than theconfigured storage medium) to perform method steps. For example, onesuch configured medium includes code modules to notify 102 a player thata game presents a nonrandom notable pattern, to create 106 at least onenonrandom notable pattern in the game, to present 114 the player with anonrandom notable pattern in the game, and to reward 122 the player fordetecting the nonrandom notable pattern in the game.

Other method steps may be embodied. For instance, in one embodiment thesteps include withholding 124 part of the nonrandom notable pattern frompresentation to the player if rewarding the player further would causethe player's reward to exceed a specified reward threshold. In oneembodiment, the steps include monitoring 104 to automatically detect atleast one of: a play session beginning, a play session ending. In oneembodiment, the steps include testing 116 to detect play by automatednonhuman players. As with methods and devices, in some configuredstorage medium embodiments playing the game includes at least one movewhich is disallowed under traditional random game play.

More about Nonrandom Patterns

Patterns 314 are introduced 106 into the traditionally random element ofa game by software 212 and/or hardware 204, 206, 212 which is subject toa more complex set of goals, heuristics, and/or constraints than inmove-generation components of traditional games. In traditional games,the move 310 generated (e.g., spin of slot wheels, draw of cards fromvirtual deck, rolled dice values, selected keno or bingo numbers) needsimply be randomly selected from a specified set of possibilities (e.g.,possible wheel positions, cards remaining in deck, value one through sixfor each of two dice, etc.). Moves 310 are game play actions which canalter the outcome of a game, from a player's perspective. They aresubstantive, not merely cosmetic, in nature. Introducing patterns 314 inmoves 310 reduces randomness, without necessarily eliminating it in agiven move, by imposing additional considerations. Thus, the presentinvention may be embodied using patterns detectable through player skillwithin random games of chance.

Among the prime considerations are:

-   -   1. How readily the pattern 314 can be detected by the player        (pattern notability);    -   2. How the benefit 312 given to the player if the player        recognizes the pattern will change the player's score (points,        funds, comp credits, bonus play opportunities, etc.) for the        given session;    -   3. How the benefit given to the player if the player recognizes        418 the pattern will change the house's score for the given        session;    -   4. How the benefit given to the player if the player recognizes        the pattern will change the house's score for the given game        over one or more other periods.

For instance, using patterns that are easily notable—readily detectableby a (given) player—generally encourages play by those/that player(s),which in turn may benefit the house 230. Players may also derive greatsatisfaction from detecting 418 patterns and using 428 that skill totheir advantage. Patterns that go undetected will have little or nobenefit to either the player or the house relative to traditional games.Indeed, a traditional game could be viewed from a marketing and playersatisfaction perspective, albeit not from a structural one, as beingmuch like an game that nominally follows the teachings herein butprovides only undetected patterns. There is little reason to createpatterns 314 if they all go undetected.

Patterns 314 may take various forms. They may be numeric, or geometric,for example. A progression of bingo card patterns could be made notable,e.g., by repeating the winning pattern several times, or making thewinning pattern a square that moves one position to the right eachsuccessive game

In some cases, a pattern 314 is presented a certain number of times,which may be set according to the pattern's expected difficulty (lownotability) in order to give more opportunities to detect subtlerpatterns. Then, if the pattern is not detected 118 by the player (asevidenced by the player acting 428 on it), the play moves either to adifferent pattern or to fully random move generation 210, and continuesuntil another pattern is presented 114 or play ends 104, 404.

For games based on playing cards (cards from the set of ace, 2 through10, jack, queen, king, possibly with jokers, in suits), the patterns 314may be of many different types. By way of example, the same numeric cardvalue may reappear in an order and with a frequency that is readilynotable even if that is possible as well under unmodified fully randommove generation. It is possible, for instance, that four consecutivehands 310 of blackjack would have a four as the first card, but that isso unusual that it is notable. The same card could also reappear, in amanner that is not possible 126 under traditional fully random play, aswhen cards are traditionally drawn from a deck without replacement butfour consecutive hands draw 310 the same card (same number and samesuit). Likewise, patterns 314 may involve more than one numeric cardvalue, as when several consecutive hands draw a king and a queen, orwhen several consecutive hands draw two jacks. Patterns involving suitsare also possible, as when several consecutive hands 310 draw 114 threeclubs and two spades. Again, this could be a pattern which is rare butpossible with fully random play, or it could be a pattern that isimpossible 126 with fully random play, as when four consecutive hands offive cards each draw five hearts each hand from a single deck withoutreplacement. Patterns involving numeric value and suit may also bepresented in some embodiments in some circumstances. In dice games androulette games, numeric patterns 314 can also be presented 114.

Player Rewards

In some cases, if the pattern has been recognized and acted upon by theplayer at least once, and if the benefit that would (or could) beaccorded 122 to the player from again acting on the pattern exceeds somethreshold, then the pattern is not presented again (presentation isterminated 124). Play instead moves according to another pattern or elseproceeds according to random move generation until play ends or the nextpattern is presented.

The reward threshold may be determined 222 in various ways. Forinstance, the threshold may be a set percentage of the amount wageredthus far by the current player in the current session of play, e.g., 15%regardless of the player's other wins this session, or 90% of theplayer's total winnings this session. The threshold may be a setpercentage of the amount wagered thus far by the current player in allrecorded sessions. With such thresholds, an individual player 228 willnever come out ahead of the house 230 as a direct result of thebeneficial patterns presented during play through modification of randommove generation, although the player may still come out ahead as aresult of fully random play if the game in question includes one or moreintervals of fully random play mixed in with the patterned play. Thethreshold may also be 222 a set amount, rather than a percentage.

The reward threshold may also be 222 a set percentage of the wagers madeby all players for the game in question, or for all devices playing thatgame, or for some larger or different set of devices that include thedevice 202 being played by the player in question, or for some othercombination of house resources. Resources wagered by players other thanthe current player may be part of the calculation which determines 222how much to let the current player benefit from recognizing and actingon patterns in the current game. Accordingly, with such thresholds anindividual player may well come out ahead 422 of the house as a directresult of the beneficial patterns presented during play throughmodification of random move generation; the player is effectivelygarnering 422 income from wagers by other players, via the house 230.The threshold may also be a set amount, rather than a percentage.

Pattern Notability

Regardless of the type of game, a threshold value may be used todetermine whether a pattern is deemed notable and hence suitable forautomatic and/or electronic presentation 114. The pattern 314 notabilitythreshold value may be determined empirically, based on a desiredpercentage recognition, e.g., to meet house revenue or playersatisfaction targets. For instance, a pattern may be deemed notable if75% of tested subjects 228 detect the pattern after at least twoinstances are presented to them, and if they do so in at least 50% ofthe trials. These numbers may, of course, be varied, e.g., a pattern maybe deemed notable if it is found 118 that at least 80% of testedsubjects detect it after at least three instances. Empirical results mayalso be used to rank patterns in levels according to their detectionlikelihood.

The notability threshold may also be determined statistically, e.g., apattern 314 is deemed notable if it occurs less than some desiredfrequency in a fully random play 210. For instance, a pattern may bedeemed notable if it occurs less than once per thousand times in a MonteCarlo simulation or other statistical analysis. This desired frequencymay be varied, e.g., to once per ten thousand times, or once per fivehundred, to give just two examples. Desired frequency levels may also beused to rank patterns 314 according to detection difficulty. Note thatpatterns which cannot occur 126 in traditional fully random play can beviewed as special cases of this approach, in which their desiredfrequency is zero per any arbitrarily large number of moves 310.Notability may also be a weighted blend of empirically determineddifficulty level, statistically determined difficulty level, and perhapssome other factor, such as the cultural significance attached to certaincards which make them more prominent, e.g., Ace of Spades, Queen ofHearts, or certain card combinations, e.g., Four Aces. Likewise, in dicegames, “snake eyes” may be deemed more notable than a pair of twos or apair of threes, etc.

Notifying 102 a player to watch for patterns may make some or allpatterns used more notable. That is, players may assume that aparticular game is traditionally random unless told otherwise. Anonrandom notable pattern of moves, may be viewed as a cause-effectrelationship, which provides predictability of game moves by the housein response to actions 310 by the player 228. Notability may be added orincreased by giving the player a basis for predicting an outcome and/orgiving the player influence over that outcome (other than the necessarydecision of whether to continue playing). Detecting and acting on anonrandom notable pattern according to the present invention can makeplay more advantageous to the player than traditional play. The playhistory generally can be helpful in detecting patterns in game play ifsuch patterns exist.

Detecting nonrandom notable patterns requires some level of playerskill. The level of skill required depends on factors such as thenotability of the patterns and whether the player knows to watch forpatterns.

Nonrandom notable patterns are notable in part because they arenonrandom items within a larger context of randomness. That is, thepresent invention may be embodied using patterns detectable throughplayer skill within random games of chance. Creating 106 at least onenonrandom notable pattern in a game can be guided by a goal such as:making a notable pattern of conversions, or making a pattern ofconversions which can be detected by a player. Patterns may havedifferent notability, e.g., in one embodiment one could find readilynotable nonrandom patterns, less easily notable nonrandom patterns, andrandom game moves.

In at least some embodiments, patterns that are displayed openly andfully without first requiring players to guess them are not notable. Forinstance, displaying a target shape and merely asking the player tolocate it in a grid, as in the Battleship® game, is not creating 106 anonrandom notable pattern. Openly displaying a pattern up front, beforethe player makes moves 310 to watch for and uncover the pattern,deprives the player of the chance to discover the pattern herself; suchpatterns are not notable, at best they are fully noted. Notable patternsare discoverable; they are not simply displayed without player effort todiscover them. Part of the player's enjoyment comes from discovering 118a pattern within randomness. Players may also enjoy hypothesizingdifferent patterns and testing for their presence during play, throughdeduction, guesses, reference to past play, and other heuristics.

A pattern's notability relates to determination 118 of whether a playerhas detected the pattern. Empirical and/or statistical or otherthresholds can be used to determine 118 automatically whether a playerhas detected 418 a presented pattern 314. For instance, it may bedetermined that the likelihood (statistical and/or empirical) that anyplayer (or alternatively, based on recorded moves, that the currentplayer) will stand instead of hit with twelve or less in blackjack isvery low. Accordingly, if a pattern is presented that would reward thepayer for standing at twelve or less, and the player does that, then themodified game device 202 or system 300 concludes 118 that the playerdetected the pattern.

In a similar spirit, if a pattern 314 is presented that is relativelyeasy to detect, but the player makes a move 310 inconsistent withaccepting the pattern's reward, then it can be presumed 118 that theplayer did not detect the pattern. Accordingly, suppose an automatedcraps game 202 has a non-random play interval in which the uninterruptedpattern presented will be come-out rolls of 7, 2, 7, 3, 7, 4, 7, 5, 7,6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 7, 9, 7, 10, 7, 11, 7, 12, and then fully random playresumes. If the player fails to begin betting for the naturals (7 or 11)by the time the fourth seven in the pattern sequence is rolled, theneither the player has not detected 418 the pattern or else the player isnot familiar with the game of craps. Unfamiliarity with the game couldbe eliminated automatically as an explanation, based on recordeddemographic information about the player 228 and/or on the extendedlength of the current session and/or on a player request for display ofa help screen 224 which highlights the possibility of winning when a 7or 11 is rolled on the come-out roll.

Play Sessions

The beginning of a play session may be detected 104 automaticallythrough activity after an inactive period of at least a specifiedduration, e.g., two minutes, or five minutes; by initiation of an onlinesession, e.g., change in IP address, login, etc.; by entry of a playerID card, comps card, or the like; by I/O with the player, e.g., asking“New Player?”; or otherwise. The end of a play session can likewise bedetected 104 automatically by the beginning of a subsequent new session,e.g., passage of inactive time, logout or internet session termination,removal of player ID card, I/O exiting the game, etc.

Automated Play

In some embodiments outside a physical casino setting or other venue inwhich players 228 can be seen by the house to be human, testing 116 canbe done to detect play by pattern matching software, so-called “gamblingbots”, AIs, and the like. This may be viewed as a special instance ofthe general “Turing Test” problem, namely, the problem of distinguishinga tested human from a tested computer given only limited interactionwith the subject being tested. Play by a computer (or equivalently, by acomputer process) as opposed to play a human could be prevented and/ordetected in various ways. CAPTCHAs (see www.captcha.net) and/or othertesting techniques used, e.g., to prevent automated signup for email ordomain name services, could also be used to prevent game sessions onlinewith software that masquerades as a human player. Alternately or inaddition, several increasingly harder-to-detect patterns could bepresented 114, 116 in traditionally random intervals and it could thenbe assumed that software is playing if the patterns continue to bedetected 418 and acted upon 428 in a manner beyond the ability of mosthumans (as empirically or otherwise determined). Similarly, if everypattern 314 introduced is very quickly detected and acted on, it couldbe assumed that software is playing.

Questions could also be periodically or randomly asked 116 of the playerin English or another natural language, from a large collection, withanswers that are obvious to humans but not to computers, e.g., “How manyhalves are there in a football game? (a) green (b) two (c) apple (d)science” or “What shape has as many sides as a dollar bill has corners?(a) square or rectangle (b) garbage (c) more trash (d) cheap bots do notread well”. Indeed, such questions could be generated automatically, toprevent a bot author from simply encoding all the questions and theiranswers, in a manner perhaps like the text generation that is used byspam email generators. One method of automatic question generation 116generates questions by randomly selecting colored icons from apredefined set of easily identified distinct colors to fill the blanksin the following template, and by randomly changing the position of thecorrect answer, and randomly changing the number of icons in a rangefrom three to five: “What colors are these: _ _ _ _ (a) red blue green(b) red green blue black (c) jam blue black green (d) orange tent housegray (e) blue blue black blue (f) whistle while you work (g) roses arered (h) red white blue green”.

Player Methods

The present invention includes methods (and corresponding devices,systems, and configured media) for players which include componentsmatching those illustrated in FIG. 1. For instance, some methods of theinvention include receiving 402 notice that a game intermittentlypresents patterns 314 not found in moves of its traditional fully randomcounterpart, starting 404 a play session, receiving 414 a notablenonrandom pattern in a game element which is fully random in thetraditional version of the game, detecting 418 the pattern, acting 428on the basis of the pattern, receiving 422 a reward for detecting thepattern and acting accordingly, receiving 426 and/or making 426 a move310 not possible in a traditional fully random game, and ending 404play.

Additional Considerations

Although reference is made here to modifying random move, random carddraw, or other random generation software 210 or circuitry 210, suchmodifications do not necessarily require actual change to a pre-existingtraditional game. “Modification” and similar terms should be understandto refer as well to implementations 208 done from scratch which can beviewed as differing from otherwise generally corresponding traditionalgames which use only randomly chosen values in that the same or similarfunctional results 106 etc. achieved in the implementation from scratchcould also be achieved by suitably modifying the traditional game.Modifications to a game are likewise understood to imply any necessarymodifications to the software, hardware, user interface 224, notices,marketing, regulatory compliance, and other operational aspects ofdevices 202 or systems 300 which facilitate or operate according to themodified game's methods.

The invention may be embodied in various ways, e.g., processes 304and/or hardware on a server computer 302, on a client or peer computer202, or on a standalone computer 202, software (data instructions) inRAM 206 or permanent storage 206 for performing a process, generalpurpose computer hardware 204 configured by software, special-purposecomputer hardware 204, data produced by a process, and so on. Computers,PDAs, cell phones, and any other device 202 having user interface 224and in some embodiments (phone/computer) network transmissioncapabilities 214 may be part of a given embodiment.

Terms such as “computerized” refer to devices having a microprocessor204 and memory 206, not merely to personal computers or servers.“Electronic” refers to digital and/or analog electronic circuitry.“Automatic” means without requiring ongoing real-time human input orguidance to perform the immediately contemplated operation. Touchscreens, keyboards, other buttons, levers, microphones, speakers, lightpens, sensors, scanners, and other I/O devices 224 may be configured tofacilitate or perform operations to achieve or help achieve the methodsand implement the gaming systems described here. Combinations of theaforementioned may also form a given embodiment.

Although particular embodiments of the present invention are expresslyillustrated and described herein as methods, for instance, it will beappreciated that discussion of one type of embodiment also generallyextends to other embodiment types. For instance, the descriptions ofmethods illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 also help describe systems 300 anddevices 202, and help describe products (such as a sequence of screendisplays) that are produced by methods. It does not follow thatlimitations from one embodiment are necessarily read into another.

All claims as filed are part of the specification and thus help describethe invention, and repeated claim language may be inserted outside theclaims as needed. In the claims a reference to an item generally meansat least one such item is present and a reference to a step means atleast one instance of the step is performed. Headings are forconvenience; information on a given topic may be found outside thesection whose heading indicates that topic.

Definitions of terms are provided explicitly and implicitly throughoutthis document. Terms do not necessarily have the same meaning here thatthey have in general usage, in the usage of a particular industry, or ina particular dictionary or set of dictionaries. Reference numerals maybe used with various phrasings, to help show the breadth of a term. Theinventor asserts and exercises his right to his own lexicography.

Embodiments such as the methods illustrated or corresponding systems mayomit items/steps, repeat items/steps, group them differently, supplementthem with familiar items/steps, or otherwise comprise variations on thegiven examples. Suitable software to assist in implementing theinvention is readily provided by those of skill in the pertinent art(s)using the teachings presented here and programming languages and toolssuch as C++, C, Java, scripting languages, HTML, XML, APIs, SDKs,network protocol stacks, assembly language, firmware, microcode,compilers, debuggers, packet sniffers, and/or other languages and tools.

Although this document includes one or more website addresses, theaddresses and the material on the sites addressed by the statedaddresses are provided only for background and/or as examples to helpillustrate the invention. The document does not incorporate by referenceany essential material from those websites or other sources.

The embodiments discussed are illustrative of the application for theprinciples of the present invention. Numerous modifications andalternative embodiments can be devised without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A game device for game play between a player and a house, the game device comprising: a pattern creating means for creating at least one nonrandom notable pattern of house moves in a game by at least one of: subsequence reordering, contra-patterned filling, changing at least one randomly generated game value, the game having a traditional counterpart which is free of created nonrandom notable patterns, the nonrandom notable pattern tending to increase player ability to predict house moves; and a player interface configured to permit a player to play the game, to present the player with a nonrandom notable pattern during such play, and to reward the player.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is configured to withhold part of the nonrandom notable pattern from presentation to the player if rewarding the player further would cause the player's reward to exceed a specified reward threshold.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the specified reward threshold is specified by a fixed amount which is independent of any given player's record of game play.
 11. The device of claim 9, wherein the specified reward threshold is specified based on at least in part on at least one of the following: the player's total winnings this play session, the player's total winnings over more than one play session.
 12. The device of claim 9, wherein the specified reward threshold is specified based on at least in part on wagers by other players over a period of time.
 13. The device of claim 8, wherein the game played with the device is one of: a variety of poker, blackjack (a.k.a. twenty-one), baccarat, another game of playing cards, blackjack, a form of poker, baccarat, craps, roulette, Sic Bo, another casino table game, a dice game, and the game includes player decisions more complex than mere slot machine play.
 14. The device of claim 8, wherein the device comprises software located at least in part on a networked server for game play online.
 15. The device of claim 8, wherein the device allows multiple players to play the game together.
 16. The device of claim 8, wherein the device allows play which includes at least one move that is disallowed under traditional random game play.
 17. A configured storage medium in a system configured with data and instructions to cause at least one device having a processor and a memory to perform steps for playing a game between a player and a house, comprising: creating at least one nonrandom notable pattern of house moves in the game by at least one of: subsequence reordering, contra-patterned filling, changing at least one randomly generated game value, the game having a traditional counterpart which is free of created nonrandom notable patterns, the nonrandom notable pattern tending to increase player ability to predict house moves; presenting a player with a nonrandom notable pattern in the game; and rewarding the player for detecting the nonrandom notable pattern in the game.
 18. The configured storage medium of claim 17, wherein the steps further comprise withholding part of the nonrandom notable pattern from presentation to the player if rewarding the player further would cause the player's reward to exceed a specified reward threshold.
 19. The configured storage medium of claim 17, wherein the steps further comprise monitoring to automatically detect at least one of: a play session beginning, a play session ending.
 20. The configured storage medium of claim 17, wherein the play includes at least one move which is disallowed under traditional random game play.
 21. The configured storage medium of claim 17, wherein the game is at least one of: a lottery, a sweepstakes, a game of playing cards, a casino table game, a dice game.
 22. The configured storage medium of claim 17, wherein the steps further comprise testing to detect automated nonhuman players. 